Germany's ePA: Digital Health Records Mandatory From January 2025
From mid-January 2025, all insured persons in Germany will have an electronic patient record (ePA) unless they actively object. This digital health record will store essential medical documents, improving treatment and emergency care.
The ePA will hold medical letters, findings, blood values, medication plans, dental treatments, and vaccination records. It will be stored centrally on secure servers in Germany, accessible via the closed Telematics Infrastructure network. Insured persons can control access to their ePA through confidentiality levels in the accompanying app.
The ePA will primarily be filled by treating physicians and will exist if no objection is raised. It aims to avoid duplicate treatments and medication errors by providing cross-practice and cross-physician access to vital health data. Once no longer necessary or retention requirements expire, the data will be deleted.
The ePA will start in mid-January 2025, with insured persons able to use a smartphone app to store documents. Doctors can fill in the file via their practice computer. Those who do not want the ePA must actively object to it with their health insurance provider, ensuring only the insured person and authorized individuals can read the contents.
